


How Hawke Trained His Dragon

by Saiya_tina



Series: A Comedy of Assholes (Rhapsody, etc.) [43]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, M/M, and made it into a steed, i watched httyd 2 and had an idea, what if Hawke found a dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-23 03:23:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3752632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saiya_tina/pseuds/Saiya_tina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Viscount Anton Hawke received reports of a dragon in the Bone Pit, he went down to kill it.</p>
<p>Somehow, he ended up bringing it fish, helping it recover from a wounded tail fin and allowing it to toss him into lakes for fun.</p>
<p>Aveline and Cullen are beginning to wonder whether it was the right decision to let this man have control over anything, even his own life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Hawke Trained His Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea while watching HTTYD 2 and wondering how much Hawke would love having his own dragon. Then it spawned into this 10,000 word monstrosity. It's still takes place in the Rhapsody verse, but it's not strictly canon for it.

“Another fucking dragon…” Anton muttered. “Why is it always this stupid mine?”

The Bone Pit had apparently become home to a new dragon after barely a year of the Hawkes killing the last one. Anton would forever despair that people continued to try and work in the mines despite his best attempts at forbidding it. Apparently, even the Viscount’s word meant nothing when faced with the possibility of profits.

After ten so-called Dragon Hunters had met a fiery death in the Pit, the matter became serious enough for Anton to actually pay attention to it. Which was why he was currently walking down the slope of the Pit to see if this was a High Dragon or not. Some passersby insisted that it was in fact a Wyvern because it moved far too quickly to be a dragon. Either way, Anton was sure it was time for it to leave.

As he got closer to the Pit, the path was strewn with the remains of iron and wood traps with the occasional burnt body. He shook his head with a sigh and continued further in. Aveline would have his head if she found out he went after a dragon on his own but, in his defense, he was just going to see how big the dragon was. If it was still a drake, which he increasingly doubted, he could take care of it himself. Plus, and he would never admit this to her, he just really wanted to see this dragon.

“Maybe it’s a Hawke thing,” he mused out loud. When Flemeth had saved them in Lothering, it had been all he could do to not squeal in delight at being that close to a dragon- without being eaten.

The Pit appeared to be empty aside from flaming remains. He couldn’t hear anything beyond the crackling fires and the ground didn’t feel like it was rumbling. If the dragon had been here, it didn’t appear to be anymore. He ventured out further into the pit, staying close to the rocks just in case he needed any emergency cover. No sign of prints in the ground or claw marks.

“Well, that’s strange,” he murmured.

The sound a low growl was all the warning he got and all that he needed. Anton ducked and rolled as the rocks behind him blew apart when the fireball hit them. He unsheathed his daggers and crouched, eyes locked on the spot where the fire came from. The creature leapt out from behind the rocks and landed on all fours, crouched low with its teeth bared.

“What the Maker…” It didn’t look like any dragon he’d ever seen. It was about the size of a wyvern, but smaller and sleeker with black scales covering it from its head down to its long tail that lashed behind it agitatedly. It was built more like a wyvern, but its wings were more dragon-like in nature. Its large eyes were moss green with a slitted pupil similar to cats and right now, they were fixed on him.

The dragon snarled again and spat out another ball of fire that Anton barely avoided. It was fast, faster than any dragon he’d ever seen and Anton knew himself well enough to know that the speed at which it was able to fire meant he couldn’t avoid it for long. He twirled his daggers again and circled around the dragon, which followed his movements, eyes focused.

“I have no idea what manner of creature you are,” Anton said, mostly to himself, “but I can’t let you keep killing people in my city. Any chance you’d just leave? Maybe if I asked nicely?”

The dragon snarled, lashing its tail again. Anton’s eyes were automatically drawn to it and he hoped it didn’t fire any spikes or horns or anything. He frowned when he noticed an abnormality in the tail: it only had one fin on the end. The other side was bloody.

“You’re wounded,” Anton said with surprise, taking a step back. The dragon snarled, but at least it wasn’t firing at him again. The dragon roared and suddenly leapt up into the air, wings uncurling and flapping. Anton fell back, eyes locked on the creature just in case it decided to divebomb him, but the dragon just fell back onto the ground gracelessly.

It looked so pathetic, he couldn’t bring himself to kill it. It shook the dust off its scales and looked back at its tail with a mournful sound.

“You must use your tail as a sort of rudder,” Anton murmured to himself. “Like a ship or birds. And without that fin…oh Maker’s balls, you can’t fly.”

The dragon drew back and hissed at him before darting up the rocks into a small cavern. He assumed that was where the dragon was making his nest. He knew he should go and drive it away or just kill it, but he was curious. And when a Hawke got curious, they usually got into trouble, not that it ever stopped them.

“I think I need to do some research,” he mused, looking around the destruction. He wandered around the Pit, looking for any clues, but all he found were remains of rotten fish in front of the cave. He left the Pit with vows to come back with some guards to drive the dragon away for good, but even he knew that he was just fooling himself at this point. But, then again, Hawkes were good at self-deluding.

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                The next day, he was back at the Bone Pit after giving Aveline a bullshit excuse of trying to find the dragon again. Fortunately, she had agreed to keep her men and the citizens away from the Pit until he said otherwise. This time, he was a bit more prepared, but at the same time, just as clueless. His research turned up nothing and, for all intents and purposes, the creature in the Pit didn’t seem to exist in books. Nonetheless, he’d managed to figure out one thing: a grounded dragon was one that couldn’t hunt and a dragon that couldn’t hunt was a hungry dragon and a hungry dragon might think he was supper.

He could just imagine Cormac rolling his eyes and asking him what stray he had adopted this time. Granted, he didn’t think even Cormac would be mad enough to think about feeding a dragon. But this was no ordinary dragon and Anton was hesitant about killing something so rare. Who heard of a dragon that ate fish?

The Pit was empty when he walked in, but now that Anton knew what he was looking for, he could track the dragon easily. He opened his pack and took out the bunch of fish he had bought from the fishmonger at the docks before heading for the Pit. He laid them out near the dragon’s cavern and then retreated to a safe distance.

The dragon didn’t come out.

Anton waited for a long while, at least an hour judging by the sun before the dragon poked its head out of the cave. It looked around and Anton ducked back further behind the rocks. The dragon seemed to think nothing was amiss as it clambered down the rocks towards the fish. It sniffed them carefully and Anton could see its pupils dilate as it took a careful nibble before devouring all of them. It let out a sound that resembled a purr and Anton couldn’t help his huff of laughter.

The dragon’s head shot up and Anton had a moment to note that it apparently had very good hearing and those growths at its head weren’t just for show before the dragon was leaping towards him. He was so startled that he didn’t even have time to draw a dagger before the dragon was upon him, knocking him down and using its claws to pin him onto his back.

“Shit!” he yelped, struggling to get his daggers, but the dragon was heavy and it kept its weight on his arms, pinning them to their sides. He had a moment to wonder just how embarrassed he was going to be if he died like this before the dragon leaned forward…and sniffed him.

He held still, not moving and barely breathing as the dragon sniffed him all over. It was especially interested in his hands, probably because of the fish smell that tended to stick to anything the damn things made contact with.

“I don’t have anymore, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Anton said, voice steady even if his insides were screaming.

The dragon drew back with a strange hacking sound and Anton watched with mild horror as its stomach and throat contracted. He had a moment to worry about how much a fireball to the face would hurt at this distance when the dragon bowed its head…and half a fish fell out of its mouth onto Anton’s stomach.

The dragon drew back and sat on its haunches and Anton sat up to see it looking at him in a way that seemed almost…expectant. Anton didn’t try to reach for his daggers again: they wouldn’t be much help at this distance anyway, instead looking down at the mess of regurgitated fish and dragon saliva on his lap.

“Uh, thank you,” Anton said, picking the fish up. “But, I’ve already eaten, so you can have this back, if you’d like.”

He held the fish out and the dragon looked between him and the fish before crawling forward slowly. Anton stayed still as any movement seemed to make the dragon tense and the dragon opened its mouth, reaching for the fish.

“You’re toothless?” he said in surprise, looking at the pink gums. “I could have sworn you had-” Teeth ripped out of them and it snatched the fish, swallowing it whole. “Huh, retractable teeth. Never seen that before.” He reached out a hand, why he wasn’t sure, but the dragon snarled and leapt away, landing heavily a few feet away.

“Oh, I’m going to regret this, but why the fuck not?” Anton muttered before getting up and walking over to where the dragon was lying down. He sat down next to it, at a careful distance, and the dragon just huffed and curled up, drawing its wings around itself and bringing its tail up to cover its face.

“Now that’s just rude,” Anton drawled, leaning back on his hands. “Of course when I find a new dragon, it has to have the same attitude as my brattish little brother.” He reached out again, because it wouldn’t be like him to not try his luck, but he took the hint when the dragon let out a warning growl and looked at him with big eyes that seemed to hold a hint of annoyance. “Alright, alright, I see how it is. Well, take a nap then, I’ll just be over there.”

He still had an hour before he had to report to Aveline and the longer he was away from the damn nobles swarming the Keep, the better. He sharpened his daggers at first, but then picked up a stick in a fit of boredom to start drawing shapes in the sand. He drew a little Corypheus with Xs for eyes like the Qunari Isabela had carved into his desk. For the heck of it, he drew a little Meredith the same way. After a while, he heard the rumbling of the dragon behind him, but didn’t turn, pretending to ignore it. He remembered some of the stray cats in Lothering only approaching him when they thought he wasn’t paying attention. The dragon made inquisitive sounds behind him for a while before it bounded away.

The crack of a tree made him jump and turn around. The dragon had a large branch in his mouth and was drawing circles in the sand behind him. He ducked as one end of the branch came at his head, but he couldn’t stop staring for the life of him. The dragon finished its drawing and then looked at him expectantly and even with a bit of pride. Anton couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at the mess of lines around him, but there was a hint of awe in it.

“What manner of beast are you?” he said, looking around. “I’ve met dragons before, but they’ve all been about fire and destruction. And you…just, what are you?”

The dragon just rumbled and Anton walked through the mess of lines, taking care not to step on any as it made the dragon growl. “Oh Maker, I must be mad,” he said. “I’m talking to a dragon like it understands me and Aveline is going to lock me inside my office if she finds out about this. Dragons are supposed to be mindless beasts, but you seem to have more brains than advisors and-”

He cut himself off with a sound suspiciously like a squeak when he felt the dragon’s hot breath over his head. He looked up to see it staring down at him and he cautiously moved a little away. He reached out again, but when the dragon snarled, he drew back, but just the slightest. The dragon stopped immediately and looked at him in a way that made Anton feeling like he was being evaluated. The dragon moved forward a little bit and this time, when Anton raised his hand, the dragon leaned forward and bumped its snout against his palm.

“Maker, I thought I’d seen all the miracles the world had to offer,” Anton murmured to himself. A moment later, the dragon leapt away and crawled back into its cave. Anton took that as a sign that it was time to leave.

When Aveline asked him where he had been, he just shrugged. “Oh, just partaking in the miracles of the world.”

She rolled her eyes and told him to save those sentiments for the philosophers.

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                Anton soon settled into a rhythm. He’d wake up, conduct his Viscount duties, meet with Aveline to discuss the day’s business and then head down to the docks to pick up a bunch of fish. Sneaking out to the Bone Pit was easy and soon enough, the dragon began waiting for him. It would let him pet and feed it, but it still was very uncomfortable when Anton tried to take a look at its tail. Finally, it allowed him to treat the wound and it took some time and a lot of poultices to make sure the wound would heal properly. The dragon still couldn’t fly however and soon enough, Anton began to worry. He liked the dragon, but he knew for sure that if anyone else knew of it, it would probably be hunted down. A grounded dragon was an easy kill.

“I wish there was some way we could get you to fly again,” Anton said, sitting against the dragon’s side and petting the long tail in his lap. The dragon let out a sleepy rumble. “I could get a replacement fin made out of leather, but you wouldn’t be able to flex it like the other one…” He sighed, “Maker, as if I didn’t have enough things to worry about.”

The dragon moved its tail out of his hands and turned onto its belly. Anton took the hint and began scratching the scales, “You know, if you’re going to keep taking advantage of my good nature, I may as well give you a name. Unless you already have one?” The dragon made a non-committal grunt. “I’ll take that as affirmation. Hm, now what would be a good name…wait, are you a boy or girl?” The dragon gave him a look. “Boy then?” The dragon closed his eyes. “Alright. Now then… Speedy? Nighty? Fluffy? Scaley?” The dragon batted at him. “Alright, alright, you don’t like those! Uh, lets see, you’re black, you have scales, you breathe fire…oh! How about Fireball?”

The dragon opened his eyes at the last name and cocked his head. Anton grinned, “So Fireball, is it?” The dragon let out a sound similar to a purr. “Fireball it is! Now, I’m curious: if you could fly, would let me ride you?” The dragon looked almost offended and Anton had to duck the tail coming at his head. “Oh come on! It’s not like I’m asking to wear you like a coat!” Fireball batted at him again and Anton rolled away with a laugh. The dragon rolled to its feet and crouched down. Anton took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Fireball’s neck, but he instantly realized the foolishness of the move when Fireball stood on his hind legs and left him dangling nearly a foot in the air.

“This is incredibly unfair, I hope you realize,” Anton said and yelped when the dragon flopped onto his back, letting him rest on top of him for a second before rolling him off. “Ah, you may have me pinned now,” Anton said, laughing as the dragon batted at his upraised arms gently, tongue lolling out as they played. “But I assure you, no Hawke has met defeat so easily or quietly-GAH!” Anton had just a second to yelp before he was flattened by a good 300 pounds of dragon and covered with 3 pounds of saliva.

That night, he went back and ordered Seneschal Bran to find him the best person to create leatherwork to his specifications and would not ask any questions. Anton pretended he didn’t hear his mutterings on how insanity seemed to run in the family.

But he was sure let a few pigeons loose in the Seneschal’s office.

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                Wade and Herren weren’t the people that came to Anton’s mind when he thought “discreet,” but after only a day, he knew that Wade at least could be quiet if it meant a good project. After managing to convince Herren to wait at the Keep, Anton led Wade down to the Bone Pit.

“This is where you killed the High Dragon, yes?” Wade said, looking around. “Oh, to have gotten a chance to work on Dragon Scale again! The Hero of Ferelden brought me drake scales and dragon scales and I think that might have been the greatest honor of my life! Making armor for such an accomplished woman with such fine materials!”

“Well, I’m afraid you won’t really get much of a chance to work with fine materials,” Anton said, digging into his pack for a fish. “But I doubt you’ll get a chance to create anything like this again.” He looked at Wade, eyes dead serious. “Now, I wasn’t joking when I said you cannot speak a word of this to anyone. The lesser people that know such a creature is living in the Bone Pit, the better. I don’t want him hurt.”

Wade nodded and Anton let out a whistle and tossed the fish in front of the cave. “Come on, Fireball! I’ve got someone I’d like you to meet!”

Wade’s expression went from puzzled to awe as the black dragon bounded out of the cave to gobble up the fish. It looked over at him and growled, but Anton was unfazed, walking over to pet his snout. “Don’t worry, he’s not here to hurt you. Hopefully, with his help, we might be able to get you flying again. But he needs to take a look at you. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here: I won’t let him hurt you.”

Wade watched as the dragon’s growling subsided and at Anton’s nod, he moved closer. He itched to touch its scales, already picturing the armor he could create from it. But that wasn’t why he was here and he knew, without a doubt, that if he voiced his thoughts, both dragon and master would turn on him. Instead he looked at its tail, noting the missing fin, only scar tissue marking where it once lay. “Could I see the other fin properly?”

The dragon fanned its other fin and Wade looked at it closely, watching how it flexed. Yes, he could see how losing that fin could have grounded the dragon. “Hm, I see…”

“Is there anything that can be done for him?” Anton asked, crouching down next to Wade.

“Yes, but not much. If his tail acts like a rudder, I imagine that when he flies, he flexes it when needed. While I could create a replacement fin, it won’t do much. He won’t be able to flex it appropriately.”

The dragon let out a mournful sound and Anton placed a hand on his flank. “Is there nothing that can be done then?”

Wade ran ideas through his head. “Well, nothing can be done to allow him to fly on his own…but I could create something to allow him to fly if someone else aids him.”

“Meaning?”

“He cannot flex the manmade fin. But I could make it so that you can,” Wade clarified, already taking the dragon’s measurements and memorizing how the fin moved. “If I were to create a saddle, I could create a spur to allow you to flex the fin for him. However, that means he will not be able to fly without you.”

“Let me get this straight,” Anton said slowly. “You’re proposing that I _ride_ him like a steed?”

“Well, it’s all that can be done. Either he flies with you or he stays on the ground.”

Anton looked over at Fireball, who looked a little displeased. Anton supposed he’d be feeling the same if he’d been told he couldn’t walk without someone riding on his back. “Doesn’t sound like there are any other options,” he murmured, both to himself and to the dragon. The dragon huffed and took off, flying back into his cave. Anton groaned, “Oh he is going to be a nightmare to deal with now.”

Wade just stood there, “So should I start on the saddle…?”

“Do what you need to. I’ll see if I can convince him that being burdened with me isn’t the worst fate. It’ll be like talking to Carver all over again.”

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “FUCK-” _Splash_.

                Anton spat out water and glared at the dragon chuffing with laughter on the bank of the river. “Now I know moving to Sundermount was a good idea. That stunt in the Bone Pit would have just been painful.” Moving the dragon to Sundermount wasn’t easy, but people tended to avoid the area after the Dalish had left. At least Fireball could hunt on his own for the most part, even if the dragon still pouted if Anton didn’t bring some fish with him.

                Anton pulled himself out of the river and looked down distastefully at his soaked, muddy clothes. At least he hadn’t been wearing armor, he’d have sunk like a rock. He ran a hand through his hair and squeezed what little water he could out of it. “Look, if you want to fly again, you’re going to have to put up with me on your back,” Anton said. “So you can toss me into the river as many times as you want, but face it: you’re stuck with me.” The dragon just purred and Anton scowled, “Don’t try that innocent look with me, I know how much you’re enjoying this. Now let’s try this again and please, no tossing me into the river. Again.”

The dragon crouched down again and Anton cautiously took a seat on its back. Holding on was damn near impossible, so he prayed that Fireball had had his fun and wasn’t going to leap around again. The dragon seemed to have decided to take mercy on him, because he just walked around, occasionally leaping about, but never so wildly as to toss Anton off.

“If only my brothers could see me now,” Anton said later, when they were sitting together at lunch time. “I’m pretty sure Artie would scream in horror and Cormac would just wonder if I fell on my head too many times from the trees. Bethany would adore you, I know that. Carver…would probably be pissed and jealous. But that’s rather normal for him.” He paused, “I wonder how Cullen would take to you.”

The dragon made an inquisitive chirp. Anton smiled and scratched his neck, “I haven’t mentioned him before, have I? Cullen’s my…well, my lover. He doesn’t live in the city though or anywhere nearby. It’s about a three day journey to Skyhold, where he lives. I don’t get to go there much anymore. Too little time and too much to do.”

Fireball made a grumpy sound. “Yes, I know I haven’t been coming here much either, but there’s only so many times I can sneak out of the city without the guards becoming suspicious. I convinced them that the dragon terrorizing the Bone Pit is dead and if they knew you were alive, the best case is they’d try to trap you and the worst is they’d kill you.”

Fireball rolled over and Anton let out a yelp as he fell onto his back. The dragon was back on top of him and covering him in sticky saliva with long licks again. “Okay, okay, fine!” Anton said, laughing. “Dammit Fireball, you know that doesn’t come out!”

When he got back to the Keep, he was soaked, muddy and sticky. Aveline took one look at him, shook her head and then sent him off before any of the visiting nobles could see the famed Viscount and Champion of Kirkwall looking like Darktown had shat on him.

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “Okay, now let’s try this out…” Anton made sure the saddle was on tightly. Wade had done a fantastic job and it had met Fireball’s approval. The hardest part was going to be operating the other fin, but Wade had insisted that he’d done as good a job as possible, plus he’d provided Anton with a list of positions the fin could take depending on how he used the spur. Anton hoisted himself up and attached the cord from his harness to the saddle. He checked the artificial fin and it seemed to be moving as well as expected.

“Alright, I think we’re good to go,” Anton said, rechecking everything. Fireball was squirming with eagerness and Anton took hold of the ‘reins’. “Now, let’s take it easy until I get used to the fin and- GAH!”

Fireball bounded forward and leapt up into the air. Anton held on tightly as the dragon’s wings started flapping and squinted against the wind blowing into his eyes. He’d always thought dragons flew slowly, like High Dragons or Flemeth, but Fireball was several times faster.

“This is the exact opposite of taking it easy!” he shouted over the wind, bending low. Fireball either didn’t hear him or ignored him as he continued to fly higher and Anton moved his foot to change the fin’s position to make the ride a little smoother. He held onto the reins tighter, reminding himself not to look down as the clouds got closer and closer.

Once they were over the clouds, Fireball levelled out and Anton took the chance to actually straighten up. It was harder than he thought to move away, hands clenching like he thought he’d be blown away if he let go the slightest bit. The dragon was purring and he could feel it. As the ride continued, he began to loosen his grip a bit, allowing his spine to straighten and taking the chance to look around.

It was incredible. He could see the clouds passing below him and even further than that, fields and streams passed by slowly. It was like riding a horse, but, at the same time, nothing like it. He saw a triangle of birds pass below and couldn’t help but laugh, even if it was a bit hysterically. “This is incredible,” he shouted over the passing winds.

Fireball slowly angled himself down, giving Anton plenty of time to hold on tightly again. He looked back at the way Fireball had positioned his fin and mimicked it, whooping as the dragon swooped down into a dive. Anton grinned as they plunged back through the clouds, which left traces of moisture on his cheeks, though the grin faded when mountains loomed up in front of him. Fireball let out a surprised sound and began flapping his wings to slow their descent, but it was too late. Anton felt the dragon suddenly roll under him and he lost his grip on the reins. The cord from his harness kept him from falling and he let out a surprised huff as claws grabbed him and he was enveloped, Fireball’s body curling around his completely.

He felt the echos of the impacts as they went crashing through trees and finally into the ground. He blinked as sunlight flooded his eyes when Fireball opened his wings and let him go from his claws. Anton checked himself over quick, but aside from feeling a little rattled, nothing was bruised or broken. “Thanks to you,” Anton said, turning to Fireball and running his hands over the dragon. “If I’d hit those trees, I imagine I wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Fireball grunted and flapped his wings slightly, shaking the dust and dirt off himself. Anton took that to mean he was unharmed. He looked around and found a clearing in the trees, walking over to look out at the scenery. It all looked very familiar…

“Maker’s breath, we’re in Ferelden,” he said in astonishment. He looked back over at Fireball, who was looking at him questioningly. “We’re in Ferelden. We were flying for maybe an hour and we’re in Ferelden! That’s- Maker, if we’d be traveling normally, it would have taken us several hours to get this far! Just how fast are you?”

Fireball preened at the praise and Anton chuckled, still in awe. He accepted the licks and pet his scales. “You are quite possible the strangest, most fascinating creature I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to see what else we can do.”

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “Alright, I’ve had enough. Where are you going?”

“I just fancied a walk,” Anton raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s unusual.”

“It is unusual when you keep disappearing for hours on end,” Aveline crossed her arms over her chest, standing firmly at the entrance of the Viscount’s office. “And you keep giving my guards the slip.”

“Well, I told you I didn’t want your guards following me around,” Anton said dryly. “Consider this training for them.”

“This is not funny. I don’t know where you keep going, but I don’t like it. If you’re doing something illegal-”

“I didn’t know wanting some time for myself where I’m not surrounded by nobles, advisors or guards was a crime.”

“ _Anton_.”

Anton sighed. He hated it when she used that concerned tone, it was always hard to keep lying. “Aveline, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m not doing anything illegal or dangerous.”

“Then why won’t you tell me what it is?” Aveline said, frowning. “The only time you’ve kept something from me is when you think I’m better off not knowing.”

“And you’re better off not knowing this,” Anton said, shrugging. “It’s a secret and it’s _my_ secret.”

Aveline looked at him and then stepped in, closing the door behind her. “Did something happen at the Bone Pit?” she asked quietly. “You’ve been acting strange ever since you went there to find the dragon.”

“It has nothing to do with that.” Aveline just stared at him. “What?”

“You’re a fantastic liar, but I’m not stupid,” Aveline said with a scowl. “It must have something to do with that dragon. You said you killed it, but I was there when you killed that High Dragon. It took all of us hours to kill it. You’re good, but not that good. And if it were a smaller dragon, the Hunters would have killed it themselves. But our men have also been to the Bone Pit and there’s no sign of a dragon there, or a carcass. And I know you’ve been going to fishmonger everyday now since you left for the Pit. I have my suspicions, but I want to hear it from you, so I’ll repeat: what have you been doing?”

Anton felt like beating his head against his door. “Maker, I hate how smart you are,” he grumbled. He slumped back down into his chair with a sigh, “Fine, but you’re not going to believe me.”

Anton explained everything from the beginning, how he found the dragon, tamed it and what they were doing now. Aveline sat across him and listened quietly, looking angry, worried and amazed in turn. When he finished his tale, she sat back, staring at him.

“So you found a previously unheard of breed of dragon and you _tamed it?!_ ”

“In simple and woefully inadequate terms, yes.”

“Maker…” Aveline let out a breathy laugh. “No one else, Anton, no one else.”

“I think it’s a Hawke thing,” Anton said with a quirk of his lips. “We do love our dragons.”

“I can’t decide if I would have preferred to hear you smuggling with Athenril again or not,” Aveline shook her head. “But I’ll get the guards off your back. Still, you need to be careful. It sounds like you’ve got the dragon under control, but I hope you’re smart enough to realize how dangerous this is.”

“He’s harmless,” Anton protested. A pause. “Okay, he’s harmless to me. You know what, why don’t you come and meet him? I think that’ll put your mind at ease.”

Aveline pursed her lips, but Anton already knew what her answer would be. She could put on a front of being a loyal rule-follower as much as she wanted, but he knew that she’d be just as willing to bend or break them when needed. “Alright,” she said finally. “But just because I’m curious.”

“Of course.”

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “This is incredible,” Aveline said, watching Anton play keep-away with a fish as Fireball jumped around him. “Only you could somehow tame a dragon.”

“I don’t really think I tamed him, honestly,” Anton said, twirling away as the dragon leapt for the fish again. He knew it was only a matter of time before Fireball got tired with the game and just took him down. “I think we just became friends.”

“You made friends with a dragon,” she said with a chuckle. “Life is never boring with a Hawke around.”

“We do tend to attract fun and trouble,” Anton agreed and tossed the fish to Fireball when he crouched down for a tackle. The dragon swallowed the fish contently and then went to Aveline for pets.

“What’s it like to fly with him?” Aveline asked, scratching Fireball’s snout with both hands.

“Unreal,” Anton said, walking over to her. He absently stroked Fireball’s neck. “It feels like a dream at times, but you know you’re awake. It feels like the greatest thrill you can ever experience. And you never appreciate how gorgeous the Free Marches are until you’ve seen them from miles above the ground.” He paused, “I can take you up, if you’d like.”

“As much as I’d like to, I think I’d prefer to just stay on the ground,” Aveline said with a chuckle. “But maybe later. Could I see how you fly?”

“Sure,” Anton turned to Fireball, who crouched to let him climb on. He hooked up his harness and told Aveline to stand back. Fireball bent down and then took off with a flap of his wings. They flew around the clearing this time, but Fireball seemed to love the audience as he put on more of a show than anything. Anton held on and laughed through barrel rolls and mid-air flips, practice and time helping him anticipate Fireball’s moves as he moved the fin to compensate. When they landed, Anton was nearly breathless from laughter and Aveline was staring at them with amazement.

“That was unbelievable,” she said. “I could have sworn you’d been doing this your whole life!”

“You need really quick reflexes to match up with Fireball’s movements,” Anton said. “We’ve had more than our share of tumbles when I’ve been too slow to compensate.”

“I suppose that was the reason for your sudden increase in laundry.”

Anton flashed her a quick grin, “Fireball also has a sense of humor.”

“You have an amazing thing here,” Aveline said as Fireball flopped down next to them. “I hope you won’t take it for granted.”

“I won’t,” Anton promised, grinning as Fireball moved his head into his lap and smiled at him toothlessly, tongue lolling out. “He won’t let me.”

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “Alright, I think we’ll be hitting the mountains soon,” Anton shouted over the wind. Fireball grunted a reply and flapped his wings a little harder as they flew further up. It was another twenty minutes before a range of snow-tipped mountains came into view. Anton bit his lip as they flew over the crater that had once been the Temple of Sacred Ashes, now nothing but a desolate wasteland. Fireball made an inquisitive sound and Anton pet him absently as they continued to fly over the mountains.

“Okay, take us higher, Fireball,” Anton said. “I don’t want the scouts to see us or more specifically you.”

Fireball started flapping his wings, taking them higher and higher until Anton could barely make out the mountains below. He squinted for any sight of the grey walled palace and spotted it nestled between a circle of mountains. “Fireball, lets start descending. I want to find a place for you to hide before I go to Skyhold.”

They flew over the mountains, but Anton had to admit that there really weren’t many places for a dragon to hide. They found a cave a couple of hours away from the Inquisition headquarters, but there was no place to hunt. Anton bit his lip, “I really didn’t think this through…”

Fireball looked around his temporary home and found a cozy nook to settle in. Anton sighed, “Maybe Cullen knows of some place you can hide. I’ll be back later tomorrow, okay? Stay here and please don’t disappear. I’ll never be able to find you.” He left the fish in his backpack for Fireball and then settled for the long trek to Skyhold.

The guards let him in with little protest, many of whom remembered his role in defeating Corypheus permanently. He waved at Dorian and the Inquisitor as he passed them, who made him promise to drop by for a chat later. He walked over to Cullen’s quarters and waited for his meeting to end before knocking and letting himself in.

Cullen looked up and Anton would never get tired of seeing that man light up at the sight of him. “I didn’t know you were coming,” Cullen said with surprise and delight, walking around his desk to wrap him up in his arms.

Anton let out a pleased hum at the embrace and returned it tightly, kissing Cullen’s cheek. “I like to be a pleasant surprise,” he said with a grin. A scratchy kiss was pressed to his jaw and he pulled back to see the smile pressed into his skin. Cullen took the opportunity to kiss him, hands drifting to his waist and stroking soothingly along his sides. “I take it you like the surprise?”

“I love it,” Cullen said, rubbing their noses together. Anton bit his lip to stop himself from giggling like a teenage maiden. Maker, this man was adorable. “What brings you here? Business…or pleasure?”

“Pleasure,” Anton said, pressing himself flush against Cullen. “A whole lot of pleasure. I…was trying a new method of traveling. To see if I could come here more frequently.”

“A new method of travel?” Cullen said, mildly curiously. “I hope it’s not dangerous.”

“Oh no, I think it’s safer than anything, really. No chance of bandits attacking, no wild animals…” He wasn’t lying. The only thing he had to worry about were birds and wind burn. “But…it kind of depends on you.”

“Me?” Cullen pulled back, curiosity dominating lust for now. “What can I do?”

“Well…” Anton pulled away to lock the door, check the windows and even poke his head upstairs for any sign of spies. Leliana was impossible to avoid, sometimes. “Said mode of transport may involve a tremendously rare creature that I do not want anyone to know that I have.”

“Anton,” Cullen said, sounding so much like his mother when she wanted to know where he was hiding his recently adopted strays. “What creature is this and is this illegal?”

“Well, regarding the legality, I don’t think there’s any law against it. Well, Aveline didn’t have me arrested when she saw him, so I guess it’s not illegal. Or she’s just wanting until she can build a case to throw me in the brig-”

“Anton.”

“It’s a dragon.”

Cullen stared at him. Then opened his mouth. Close it. Stared again. Then walked over to his desk, picked up a bottle of wine, uncorked it and took a few big gulps. He turned back to Anton. “A dragon,” he said flatly.

“Well, sort of a dragon-”

“Your new mode of travel-”

“He’s not a High Dragon or anything-”

“Involves a dragon-”

“He’s like the size of a horse-”

“A _fire-breathing_ dragon-”

“That was just one time-”

“Are you _completely insane?!_ ”

“He’s not that type of dragon!” Anton said, waving his hands to keep Cullen from shouting out his secret to everyone who happened to be listening. “Look, I found him in the Bone Pit and he was wounded, so I couldn’t kill him! I fed him once and like a stray cat, I couldn’t get rid of him! So we became friends and he really likes me, I like him and he lets me ride of his back so it only takes me a few hours to get to Skyhold, so please don’t let anyone know because they might try to take him away!”

Cullen opened his mouth again, likely to shout, but Anton’s pleading look had him sighing instead. He rubbed his eyes in exasperation, “So you found a dragon, turned him into a pet and _flew_ here?”

“Yes, but I left him in a cave a couple of hours from here because I don’t want anyone else to know. But he can’t hunt without me, not here where there’s no pond, so I was wondering if you knew some place I could hide him nearby so that I could feed him.”

Cullen sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “Maker, Anton, I yearn for the days when the craziest thing you did was fight ancient magisters. Horsemaster Dennet might have a spot for your dragon if he’s the size you said. I’ll ask him to make arrangements. _Without_ letting him know about what will be living there.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?” Anton said with his best smile. The one that prevented Aveline from using him as a practice dummy.

“I expect to hear it several times now,” Cullen said with a grin of his own. “And maybe I’d like a show as well.”

“Then by all means, Commander,” Anton spread his hands. “Have your wicked way with me.”

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “How much further is this cave of yours?” Cullen asked, trudging through the snow.

“Right over this snow drift,” Anton called back. “Come on, Cullen, you’re a soldier! Surely you can handle a two hour trek.”

“Those treks aren’t usually through snow and I’m wearing more armor and weapons than you,” Cullen grunted as his foot sank into a snow pile. Pulling it out was like yanking it away from a mabari and he nearly tumbled back down from the weight of the shield on his back.

“Be careful, Commander! The desk job is going to go straight to your ass!”

“Well, it hasn’t gone to your ass yet,” Cullen said, admiring said ass from his fortunate position behind Anton, watching him climb up the slope. “In fact, I think your ass looks even finer than it did last time.”

“My ass always looks fine,” Anton said and wiggled it a little. “And I heard you sing its praises yesterday.” He cleared the upward climb with a grunt and turned to help pull Cullen up the last few steps. “Maker, I told you there was no need for your armor. I seriously need to talk to Josephine about getting you better clothes.”

“Cotton won’t stop a knife.”

“But silk will lessen the damage from arrows. Just because it’s light and pretty doesn’t mean it’s not useful. Take Fenris, for example.” They reached the cave and Anton motioned for Cullen to remain outside. “Fireball!” he called out, taking out a fish from his pack as he walked into the cave. “Come on out, you lazy lizard, I’m back, like I promised and with food!”

“Fireball?” Anton called again, this time with concern. He looked around the cave, but aside from the claw marks where Fireball had settled down yesterday, there was no sign that the dragon was still inside. “Shit,” Anton muttered to himself. He turned back to Cullen, “We have a problem.”

“Please don’t tell me your dragon escaped,” Cullen said, looking around and drawing his sword and shield.

“He couldn’t have escaped, he wasn’t being kept anywhere he didn’t want to be,” Anton said, squinting up into the sky just in case. “He wouldn’t have left just like this. Not without good reason. Do you see any other potential places for a dragon to hide?”

Cullen scanned his surroundings, “Hm, lots of places, but considering he can’t fly, that does limit his options. There’s a frozen lake not far from here: maybe he went there.”

“Lead the way then,” Anton said. “Maker, I hope he’s okay.”

It was another hour before they reached the frozen lake. They searched the area thoroughly, looking for any signs of Fireball, but there didn’t seem to be any. Cullen finally convinced Anton to return to Skyhold when it threatened to get dark before they got back.

“Anton, we can’t stay out here at night,” Cullen said, grabbing his arm to get his attention. “We aren’t prepared for it. We have little supplies and this place gets dangerous at night. I know you’re worried, but we need to come back tomorrow with fresh eyes. He couldn’t have gotten far and maybe he’ll be back tomorrow!”

“I suppose,” Anton said, reluctantly. He allowed himself to be led away though: he knew Cullen was right. Still, he couldn’t help his thoughts and it took him a long time to fall asleep, even with the warmth of Cullen at his back.

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                The next day, Cullen couldn’t get the time to continue the search. Anton insisted on going alone and Cullen forced himself to acquiesce. Anton could take care of himself, but it still didn’t make Cullen feel any better about the situation. Still, he’d never seen Anton so agitated before and even if it wasn’t the sensible decision, it was the right one. He went through his duties with half his mind on Anton and wondered if his men noticed. He was going through reports of demons at the Exalted Plains when a scout came into his office.

“Sir, our scouts noticed something…interesting to the south.”

“Oh, please tell me this is good interesting,” Cullen said, sure he sounded like he was pleading.

“I…doubt it. The scouts say they saw something moving at incredible speed to the south. They only got a glimpse of it, though. They said it was black and it looked like a wolf, but much larger.”

“Really?” Cullen frowned. “Do they think it might be dangerous?”

“They’re not sure, but they felt the guards should be aware of it, just in case it is. It might just be a wild animal…or something worse.”

“Right, well, let the guards know to be on the lookout. Hopefully, it’s nothing, but better safe than sorry.”

“Yes sir.”

Cullen sat back in his chair and pondered. Could it have been Anton’s dragon? He didn’t quite know what it looked like, but surely it could not be a coincidence. When Anton got back in the evening, he told him all the scout mentioned.

“That might be him!” Anton said, sounding excited and relieved. “I have no idea how he got to the south, but I need to find this thing and make sure.”

“Alright, alright,” Cullen caught his hands as he jumped to his feet. “But tomorrow. It’s dark and the mountainside is even more treacherous in the dark. You can head out tomorrow, I’ll have the scouts take you to the general location. But please be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt if it turns out to be something else.”

“I’ll be fine,” Anton said, taking a step forward to allow Cullen to rest his chin against his stomach. He ran his fingers through his lover’s hair as Cullen’s hands went around to his back, “Now, shall we discuss your reward for bringing this wonderful news to me?”

“You know I require no reward for doing the right thing,” Cullen said magnanimously. “But if you’re insisting…”

“What shall it be tonight, darling?” Anton asked, moving back to lean provocatively against Cullen’s desk. “The Saint and the Sexy Sinner? Or the Heroic Knight and the Grateful Admirer?”

“How about…” Cullen got up and moved forward until his bulk was between Anton’s thighs, “both?”

“Both is good.”

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “Fireball!” Anton called again. He trudged a few more feet through the snow before taking a deep breath again. “Fireball!”

“Where in the Fade could he have gone?” Anton muttered, looking around. The barren trees around him hampered his view a bit, but it was still apparent that he was the only living thing in these woods. He sighed and turned around, following his footsteps back to the scouts he’d left behind a while ago to search for Fireball alone. He’d only been walking for a few minutes before he heard a howl.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself, drawing out his daggers as a furry body darted between the trees to his side. He followed its movements, ears listening for any other wolves because one wolf usually meant three others and fuck, did he hate being right sometimes. He moved back after a quick glance to keep his back against a tree. The wolves circled around him, trying to take his attention off one to let it strike. He didn’t fall for it, glancing at them all in turn. Three wolves wouldn’t normally be much of a challenge, but the snow was going to slow him down tremendously.

“I don’t suppose we could talk this through? Would it help if I said I know a sheep?” Anton said and the wolves just growled. “Didn’t think so.” The first wolf bounded at him from his side and Anton barely moved out of the way in time. It forced him to move away from the tree, but it did allow him to stab the wolf as it leapt past him. The wolf fell into the sand with a yelp and pained whimper, blood staining the pure white snow red. He heard the second wolf lunge at him and managed to duck enough for it to go over his head, but the third wolf was already in his face and Anton fell back with the full weight of the best on his front. He felt the claws tearing at him, raking bleeding lines along his arms and chest even as he kept the snout away from any vital parts. He jammed the vambrace on his forearm between the wolf’s jaws and brought his second dagger into play, sinking it deep between the ribs of the animal. He tossed the carcass off him and rolled to his feet as the second wolf landed on the spot he’d been laying on. He held his daggers between them and waited for the wolf to make its move.

He only had a second to realize he’d forgotten about the fourth wolf.

He felt the hard impact against his back and he had just a second to wonder if anyone would even find his corpse as hot breath blew against his neck when the weight suddenly disappeared as a different roar burst through the clearing. The second wolf in front of him was retreating in fright and Anton turned his head to the side to see a well-missed sight.

“You fucking disaster of a dragon, where the fuck have you been?” he rasped, pushing himself up to his knees with a bit of effort. It made his arms and chest scream in pain, but there was no way in hell he was going to miss watching Fireball rip a wolf apart and turn the fleeing wolf into a roast. His dragon bounded back to him with a chirp, which turned into a mournful rumble when he saw the blood on him. “You better feel bad about this, as far as I’m concerned this is your fault. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you? How worried I’ve been?” Fireball seemed to be trying to turn himself into a tiny ball as he cringed with each word, looking at Anton with big sad eyes. “Don’t try that with me, I’ve seen better. I’ve been looking for you for days! I thought you’d been killed or captured! Why the hell weren’t you at the cave?” Fireball made a series of noises and Anton just waved a hand, “Oh never mind, I can’t understand you! Now you listen to me: we are going to fly back to Skyhold where Cullen has been kind enough to make a place in the stable for you and you are going to keep a low profile while I get these scratches tended to. Then we are going to have a long talk about _listening to me_ when I tell you something for your own good, or I swear, I’ll never ride on you again!”

Fireball seemed to pick up on his irritation because he just quietly allowed Anton to clamber onto him and they flew back to Skyhold without any fancy tricks. When Fireball was safely in the stable, Anton left for the infirmary and then had to explain to a frantic Cullen that no, he wasn’t dying and it was just a few scratches and “Maker’s breath, Cullen, if you ask me if I need anything one more time, I am going to put _you_ in the infirmary!”

Nonetheless, he slept well that night, despite the prickling pain from his healing scratches.

 

~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~

 

                “I still think you should rest up a bit.”

“Cullen, I have had worse and done worse after it. Maker, you’re beginning to sound like my mother. Or like a polite Carver, which is just wrong.”

“You were just mauled by wolves yesterday!”

“Technically, I was mauled by just the one wolf,” Anton said, opening the door to the stables and allowing Cullen in before closing it firmly. “And that would never have happened if not for the blasted snow.”

Cullen looked around for anything that could resemble a dragon, but the stables looked rather empty to him. “Where is this dragon anyway?”

Anton let out a whistle and Cullen shrieked like a Shriek when a large black body suddenly landed in front of him. He gaped as the creature peered up at him cautiously, wings slightly spread like it was looking for an excuse to start flapping. His mouth moved, but no words were coming to him and he just watched in silence as Anton scratched and petted the dragon like it was a house cat.

“Don’t try acting cute with me, you’re still in trouble,” Anton said, but it was hard to take him seriously when he grinning so fondly. Fireball looked up at him with what Cullen could have sworn was remorse and Anton just shook his head and opened his pack to take out the raw meat he’d pilfered from the kitchens. “I know it isn’t fish, but unsurprisingly, it’s hard to get seafood when you live in a frozen mountain range. This is mutton, so I think you might enjoy that.” Fireball sniffed the meat cautiously and then took a bite. He seemed to like because soon he was swallowing it whole.

“Watching him eat is usually a gruesome display, but not as gruesome as when he tries to share,” Anton said, patting him absently. “Now then, Fireball, this is Cullen. Cullen, Fireball.”

The dragon turned his attention to Cullen and the Commander had to stop himself from stepping back. It approached him slowly, cautiously, sniffing the air like it was trying to guess his attentions from scent along. Anton motioned at him to lift up his hand and Cullen did so slowly. He felt hot breath against his palm as the dragon sniffed it…and then rubbed his snout against it, purring.

“I think he likes you,” Anton said with a wide grin. “Go on, give him a pat.”

“I think this might be the strangest thing I’ve done in my life,” Cullen said, but he did stroke Fireball’s snout, relaxing as the dragon continued to purr.

“So, would you like a ride?”

“I don’t know if that’s safe…”

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. Just sit back, hold on tight and enjoy the view!”

“Well…” Cullen would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested. “You’re sure it’s safe?”

“Just as safe as riding a horse, but with less bandits.”

“Well, why not? It can’t be any worse.”

 

“I WAS WRONG, THIS IS MUCH WORSE!”

“Calm down, Commander, this isn’t all that different from riding a horse.”

“This is very different!” Cullen shouted and his grip around Anton’s ribs was tightening on the verge of being painful. “I should never have let you convince me to do this!”

“Cullen, this is perfectly safe-” a passing wind jostled them and Cullen’s grip turned painful. “But if you keep squeezing me like this, I’m going to pass out.” The grip immediately loosened. “Cullen, don’t think about what could go wrong. Just take in the view: it’s worth it.”

It spoke volumes as to how much he loved Anton that Cullen didn’t tell him to go fuck himself. He carefully cracked one eye open and peered past the field of Anton’s silk shirt to see fluffy white clouds. He opened his other eye and straightened a bit to look at the horizon, hands tightly gripping Anton’s shirt, but now it was more out of habit than any panic. It really was beautiful. The bright blue sky and fields of white clouds with patches of mountains and streams below…it was incredible.

“We’re nearing Lake Calenhad, I’m going to take us lower,” Anton shouted and Cullen tightened his grip as they began to descend. He felt like his stomach was crawling to his throat, but adrenaline was pumping through him now, turning his panic into giddiness. He couldn’t stop smiling as they went low enough for Fireball’s claws to skim the water before ascending back up to take them out of view of any potential fisherman. They landed in the midst of a canyon near the bank of the Lake where Cullen knew people didn’t tend to wander around. It had been a long time since he’d returned to this Lake and he was already feeling nostalgic for the days when his biggest concern was getting some peace and quiet from his siblings. Fireball immediately leapt into the water and began splashing around. He led Anton to the old dock that he and his father had made for his siblings and his heart seemed to clench at how it still looked the same despite the years it had been since they’d made it.

“Of all the things that I expected would last this long, this dock is the last thing,” Cullen said, walking out onto the wood. It creaked beneath his feet, but held firm. “I could almost swear that no time has passed since I left.”

“It’s lovely,” Anton said, taking his hand and looking out at the dark water. “You came here often?”

“I grew up near here. I loved my siblings, but they were very loud,” Cullen said. “I came here to clear my head. The last time I was here was before I left for Templar training. I was around 13.”

“That’s very young,” Anton frowned. “The Templars took you that young?”

“I always wanted to be a Templar,” Cullen shrugged. “I thought they were protectors. We protected the mages and we protected the people. I held onto that foolish notion until Uldred…then I realized how naïve I had been.”

“It wasn’t naïve,” Anton said, leaning his head against Cullen’s shoulder. “Maybe a little optimistic.” But very Cullen.

“You’re kind to say so,” Cullen said with a snort. “Either way, I managed to convince them to take me. I haven’t been home since. I never had the chance.”

“You could go see your siblings now. There’s no more Corypheus and while the Inquisition is still important, I’m sure you could take some time for yourself.”

“I suppose, but enough about that. I didn’t bring you here just to reflect on bad memories.” Cullen turned to face him properly and took his hand in his own. “The day before I left for Templar training, I came here and my brother gave me this.” He held up a small silver coin, “He said it was for luck. Templars have a rule regarding such talismans because our faith is supposed to be enough, but…I still kept it.”

“You broke the Order’s rules?” Anton said, delighted. Maker, there was always something that made this man even more attractive. “My, you were _quite_ the rebel, weren’t you, Ser Cullen?”

“The fact that I had sex with you in your coat close while I was on duty with your family having a party a room away wasn’t an indication to that?” Cullen said, amused. “But honestly, until I met you, I was quite good at following the rules, most of the time. Anyway, this little thing was the only thing I took from Ferelden when I left. I want you to have it.”

Cullen pressed the small coin in Anton’s palm, but the rogue didn’t close his hand around it. He stared at it and then at Cullen, “Cullen-”

“Humor me,” Cullen said, curling Anton’s fingers around the piece. “I’m not around as much as I’d like to be and I can only imagine the hurdles you face and will continue to face as Viscount. This…will make me feel better. The idea that you have what little protection I can provide.”

“I can visit more, you know,” Anton said, bring the small piece up to see it more clearly. “Fireball cuts down the journey to Skyhold to a few hours.”

“And I’m delighted to hear it,” Cullen said, stepping closer. Anton put the piece into a pouch at his belt and slid his arms under Cullen’s to cup his shoulders, keeping them pressed flush against each other.

“I love you,” Anton said, leaning forward to press his lips against Cullen’s chin. He huffed with laughter as Cullen tilted his face down to reach his lips, kissing him tenderly. “You’re such a sap.”

“Says the man who just told me he loved me,” Cullen said with a smile, cupping his neck.

They exchanged kiss after kiss, each one getting them hotter and hotter…then a spray of cold lake water had them breaking apart with startled sounds. Fireball made a noise that sounded like laughter, bounding away with his tail splashing them with water again. Anton brushed his wet hair back from his face and ran after him, “I am going to turn you into a pair of boots, you cockblocker! Just watch!”

Cullen burst into laughter as he watched Anton chase his dragon along the clearing. This was insane, but it was his life.

It wasn’t so bad.


End file.
